The King of Hearts
by Drag0n-0f-Shu
Summary: Sometime after the Mark of Mastery, Sora reunites with his old friend Shingo Yabuki to catch up on old times. Meanwhile, Xeanhort revives an evil long that has been dead for a long time. Join Sora as he teams up with Kyo and the rest of Team Esaka and the KOF roster to fight against this upcoming evil. For his world and his loved ones, his heart burns with passion. BURN TO FIGHT!
1. Chapter 1: An Ignited Beginning

**The King of Hearts**

 **Hey guys, Dragon-0f-Shu is back with another new story in mind. I have a lot of unfinished stories that seriously need updating I know. I promise I'll do my best to update those stories as best as I can. It's just so frustrating for me about how I'm trying to keep my motivation for writing after losing progress on a chapter for Kingdom Hearts Z. Right now it's been hard regaining that fuel I lost, but then I had this new idea. For this cross over, you will see Kingdom Hearts collide with *Drumroll* THE KING OF FIGHTERS! Since The King of Fighters XIV and Kingdom Hearts 3 are coming out soon, I thought why not do a crossover with these series. For Kingdom Hearts, this story will take place after Dream Drop Distance just like with Kingdom Hearts Z, while for the King of Fighters this will take place after the Ash Crimson Saga. I hope you guys will enjoy what I can offer. And also some of you might ask "Um, aren't you doing Dragon Ball Z which is all about fighting"? And the answer is yes, but these two stories are like two different dimensions, universes etc. (Like what if Sora was a Saiyan or what if Sora learned martial arts from his world etc.). Anyways, enough of all this. Let's get this show on the road! READY? GO!**

* * *

The airport in Japan was quite busy today. A lot of people were on their way hoping to get on the next airline very soon. Lots of people had business to attend to. Otherwise were on vacation and wanted to spend their time somewhere else. However, some came from the other side just to visit Japan itself. As a matter of fact, there was one person who was here for a particular reason.

In the middle of the airport was a 15-year old boy. His hair was brown and spikey while his eyes were that of a deep blue color. His build was average and he was of average height. His clothes consisted of a blue shirt with a black and silver over jacket with a pair of black and silver shorts. His shorts were black and baggy and had 2 large red bags on both sides while his shoes were yellow and black with various straps covering them. His most notable trait was his silver crown that he wore across his neck.

His name was Sora, and right now he was in Japan in order to visit an old childhood friend.

To the plain human eye, Sora was just a normal boy. However, appearances can be deceiving. For Sora is actually a hero of worlds, unknown to his own home world itself. He is actually a Keyblade Wielder, a wielder of a sword that is said to have the power to unlock the power of any type of lock. Especially the locks to the hearts of worlds.

With this power, Sora had fought of serious threats that endangered all kinds of worlds. Just like the time he defeated Ansem in order to seal Kingdom Hearts, the realm of all worlds. Other time have included his battle with Xeanhort, the leader of a group known as Organization XIII, a group whose goal was to control Kingdom Hearts. His last recent battle was involved during a trial known as The Mark of Mastery. This trial was to determine whether or not Keyblade Wielders had the right to become a Keyblade Master. During his trial, he was caught in the resurfacing of Organization XIII and the revival of Master Xeanhort, a former Keyblade Master turned insane for his ideals of balance in the universe. While Sora was successful against his foes, Xeanhorts constant interference caused Sora to fail the exam and instead Sora's friend Riku was declared Keyblade Master.

Despite the recent events, it did not bring down Sora's spirit. Instead, he congratulated Riku with a smile and promised himself to get stronger in order to prepare for the arrival of Master Xeanhorts inevitable resurrection.

However, he was on vacation as of now, due to his friends insisting that a boy his age needed one. While Sora deeply enjoyed traveling to new worlds, he sometimes felt some homesickness of his own world. Deciding to heed his friend's advice, he decided he would take some time for himself.

Sora right now had a couple of bags with him. Most of these bags held some of his stuff such as clothes and belongings. As for why he was in Japan, he was waiting to meet an old friend that he had not seen in such a long time.

With a sigh, Sora said, "Ah man, I guess he's not here yet. I wonder where he is right now?"

However, as soon as Sora uttered those words, he could hear a shouting from a distance.

"SORA-SAN!"

Surprised Sora turned around to see where the voice came from. As he looked across the many people at the airport, he turned and turned to find the source of the voice. As he turned around, he finally found the source of the voice.

In the middle of the crowd, there was a boy who was waving in front of Sora. He was a tall person with light brown hair and brown eyes. He was wearing what looked like a Japanese school uniform with a blue over jacket with a white shirt inside and blue pants with a pair of white shoes. He wore a pair of blue gloves that had the emblem of the sun in the middle of the back hand side. His most distinguished trait however, was the white headband he had on his head.

This man was Shingo Yabuki. And he was the friend Sora was waiting to meet.

With an eager look on his face, Sora happily waived his hand to signal Shingo.

Shingo caught Sora's signal and raced towards him while rushing through the many people that were in his way. As he finally made it towards the young boy, the two friends gave each other high fives while give each other a strong hug. The two then broke off while looking at each other straight in the eyes. A reunion of two friends was a sight to behold.

"Shingo! I can't believe it's you!" Sora said

"I'm the one who should be saying that," Shingo said ecstatically. "I can't believe how much you've grown since I last saw you! You're what, fifteen now?"

Sora nodded his head while Shingo had a large grin on his face.

* * *

 _Two days ago…_

"A trip to Japan?" Sora asked.

"Yep. To Esaka to be more precise." Sora's mother said.

It had been awhile since Sora had come back to his home in Destiny Islands. After the Mark of Mastery, his friends Riku and Kairi suggested he go back home for some time off. Sora protested at first, but Kairi argued with him saying he hadn't been home for quite a while and that he shouldn't worry his parents. Giving in, he decided to heed their advice.

One day, after taking a leisurely trip around the islands, Sora's mother received a plane ticket from a mysterious person. The plane ticket was a free ticket to Japan with all expenses paid for. Sora was quite surprised. Who was it that could have offered such a thing?

"No way, who would want to give me a ticket so badly," Sora asked while looking at the ticket. He then looked at his mother and asked, "Do you know who this is from?"

However, Sora's mom was smiling. He was confused as to why. However, after a slight chuckle from his mother, she had quite a revelation.

"Why, it's from Shingo."

Shingo. Just where had Sora heard that name before? He was pondering deep in thought. Sora knew he heard that name before. In his thought, he pondered back to his memories back in his childhood up to the point of when Destiny Islands disappeared. He thought hard and hard. And then finally, the name hit him like a dump truck.

"No way! You mean Shingo as in Shingo Yabuki!?" Sora asked, to which his mother replied with a nod.

"That's right. As a matter of fact, Shingo's mother was the person who bought the ticket while Shingo mailed it personally. You remember him right?"

"Of course I do! He's one of the greatest friends I've ever made alongside Riku and Kairi."

And indeed he was. Shingo originally moved here during his elementary school days and lived on Destiny Islands for a while. Sora, Riku, and Shingo meet when they were kids in school. The three of them use to hang out with each other and everyone including Tidus, Wakka, and Selphie considered them the original Destiny Islands trio before Kairi's arrival. However, when they got older, Shingo's parents decided to move back to Japan during Shingo's final year in middle school. Sora, Riku, and Kairi were deeply sad by his departure, but Shingo made a promise that they would all see each other again. With the plane ticket to Japan, it seems like Shingo had never forgotten about Sora and the promise he made to all three of them.

"I can't believe he never forgot about me after all these years. How is this even possible?" Sora asked.

His mother replied, "Well, while you were away, Shingo's parents came here to visit after a long time. They came to our house and you can say both me and your father were surprised and happy."

"Wow, really?" Sora asked.

"Yep, and while we were talking, you can bet Shingo's parents were asking where you were. We told them you were off on a trip." Sora's mother said.

Sora had a look of sadness in his face. It had been so long since he had seen Shingo or his parents. While traveling to other worlds was quite a feeling, Sora could never forget the home and the people that were important to him. Homesickness hurt him quite hard after hearing this.

"Yeah, they were really disappointed because they were hoping to take some pictures of you to show to Shingo. However, that's really part of the reason they came."

Sora was really curious. What other reason did they come here.

Sora's mother knew what Sora might ask, and so she answered, "The other reason was to tell that they wanted you to come to Japan so that you and Shingo could hang out again like old times. You see, from what his parents told me, Shingo has been down lately. I don't know if you know, but Shingo is actually a martial artist now."

With a shocked expression, Sora exclaimed, "No way! Seriously!"

"Yes, as a matter of fact, he participated in The King of Fighters tournament a while ago if I remember correctly. Not the last one, but the one before that."

"The King of Fighters? That's like one of the most hardcore fighting tournaments if there ever was any."

"Well, Shingo is said to be a little depressed after his last competition. His parents are worried about him. Coincidentally as they were cleaning out some stuff in Shingo's room, they came across some of his old belongings and they found an old photo of you, Riku, Kairi, and Shingo back in middle school. That's when they got the idea."

"Wow. I never knew Shingo still remembered about us." Sora said with a melancholic tone.

Sora's mother continued and said, "Shingo's parents also wanted to invite Riku and Kairi as well, but their parents already talked and told them that they were busy with other things."

Sora then looked down in sadness. When Kairi came to Destiny Islands many years ago, she was quite shy. Some kids back in school didn't know what to make of her. However, Shingo was the first person to reach out and greet her alongside both Sora and Riku. Ever since then, Kairi thought of Shingo as the brother she never had while Riku always considered him an everyday friend you could depend on. Knowing that the two of them were busy training for Xeanhort really brought Sora down considering the three of them haven't seen Shingo in years.

Sora's mother noticed the look on his face and reassured Sora, "Don't worry, I'm sure the three of you will all see him eventually. But anyways, it'll just be you. His parents already told him and you can say he was very excited."

"So when do I leave?" Sora asked with excitement in his voice.

Noticing her son's spirits rising up, she replied, "You'll leave tomorrow actually."

Sora, with an exasperated look on his face, exclaimed, "WHAT! TOMORROW! I HAVE TO HURRY AND GET MY THINGS PACKED ASAP!"

With that, Sora immediately rushed to his room to get his things ready. Meanwhile, Sora's mother was smiling. While she was aware that her son was doing things, she was happy at Sora's excitement at seeing Shingo. Knowing that their friendship was stronger than anything in the world, she knew Sora was going to have a great time.

 _End flashback…_

* * *

"My parents told me, but I had to pinch myself over and over again just to believe it. Welcome to Japan Sora!" Shingo said with excitement.

Sora, with a huge grin replied, "It's great to be here Shingo! We have so much to catch up on."

Shingo nodded his head in agreement. "Don't worry about your bags. I'll carry them for you."

With that, the two friends began to make their leave from the airport. The two of them had a lot to catch up on, but for Sora and Shingo it was okay. Sora wished that Riku and Kairi could be here with the two of them, but seeing Shingo was more than enough.

* * *

 _In a unknown place…_

"I can't believe the old geezer sent me here."

In the middle of a ruined missile silo, there was a man wearing a black hood. He was quite tall and he had one yellow eye while the right eye was covered with an eye patch. His hair was quite whitish brown and gray and was tied in a ponytail. He also had a black coat covering his body.

This man was known as Xigbar, a member of Organization XIII and thorn on Sora's side in the past. As of late, he has now joined alongside Xeanhort in order to achieve his own personal goals of power. As of now, he was sent on an assignment from Xeanhort.

"Well, don't know what the old geezer wants with this place. But I have a feeling it's not the missiles he's interested in."

As Xigbar walked closer, he held a strange object that was given to him by Xeanhort. It looked like a short dagger with a jagged edge. As he got closer, purple flames could be seen rising from above.

* * *

 **Next time we will find Sora and Shingo catching up on old times. Whatever Xeanhort is up to, it can't be good. Can Sora ever catch a break? One thing is for sure, things are about to heat up. Burn to fight!**

 **Next Chapter: The Burning Memories of Days Past.**

 **Thank You and good bye!**


	2. Chapter 2: The Burning Memories of Days

The King of Hearts

 **Last time on The King of Hearts: After traveling across the worlds, Sora decides to go on vacation to take some time for himself. With that decision, Sora travels to Japan in order to reunite with his old friend, Shingo Yabuki. Meanwhile, Xigbar makes an appearance on Sora's world. Xeanhort seems to have sent him on a mission of sorts, but whatever that mission is appears to be some sort of secret. What sort of surprises will Sora encounter? Let's find out! BURN TO FIGHT! READY! GO!**

* * *

 _Hours later…_

After Sora had arrived from the airport, he met up with Shingo as the two of them began to walk towards Shingo's house. As the two of them were walking, they two of them were talking about what was going on in their lives recently. For Shingo, he had just finish telling Sora about him being a martial artist and how he participated in the various King of Fighters tournaments to date. Sora was amazed at how Shingo had changed during his time in Japan.

"Wow, I still can't believe you got to participate in The King of Fighters. That's like one the biggest fighting tournaments to have ever existed." Sora said with amazement.

Shingo rubbed his head slightly embarrassed and replied to Sora, "Oh, well I wouldn't say that exactly. To be honest I'm surprised at how far I came."

Continuing walking, Sora decided to ask Shingo a question about The King of Fighters.

"Hey Shingo?" Sora asked.

"Yeah?"

"I heard that the King of Fighters is usually a team tournament right?"

"Yeah, that's right."

"I'm just curious, what kind of teams have you been on before?"

Shingo then pondered his mind about the times he entered The King of Fighters. It had been quite a while since the last tournament he had entered before. He looked back at the various people he competed with. Seeing through those times, there were only three people who came to his mind.

To answer Sora's question, Shingo replied, "Well, one of the teams that have been most memorable to me have always been Team Esaka."

"No way, you mean "the" Team Esaka? The Japan team formed by Kyo Kusanagi, Benimaru Nikaido, and Goro Daimon?"

"Yep that's them." Shingo replied.

"No way! That's awesome Shingo!" Sora said with excitement.

"Ah, it's nothing really special really," Shingo said while rubbing the back of his head. He then smiled and said, "Y'know. To be honest, Kyo was really the reason I wanted to be like this in the first place."

Puzzled, Sora asked, "What do you mean?"

Shingo replied to Sora, "Well, it all started when I saw him participate back in the first King of Fighters tournament. His moves were really amazing, and he really was an awesome martial artist. But what really got me most were the flames the he wielded whenever he fought in battle."

"Oh right, I heard he has the power to wield flames." Sora remarked.

Shingo nodded his head and said, "Yeah. And it's with hope that one day I can wield flames like that."

Having heard that answer made Sora merely sweat dropped. While he could believe Kyo could create flames as such. He had doubts that Shingo could do such a thing.

Having to talk about Kyo, Shingo had a particular thought that came to mind.

"Oh yeah, I also forgot to mention something." Shingo said.

"What is it?" Sora asked.

"Since we're on the subject of Kyo, I almost forgot to mention something," Shingo said. He then looked at his gloves and asked Sora, "You see these gloves I've got?"

"Yeah?" Sora replied.

"Well, as a matter of fact. I actually got these from Kyo himself." Shingo said.

Sora was quite surprised and asked, "No way, seriously?"

"Yeah seriously!" Shingo replied with a grin.

"Say, now that I think of it, I heard rumors that he's still in school. Although for some reason he's way past high school age."

Shingo merely sweat dropped at the mention of that comment.

" _Heheh. I'm just glad Kyo's not here to hear that. Otherwise, I'd be worried about him trying to burn Sora to the bone."_

Shingo, deciding to change the subject, had a particular question he wanted to ask Sora personally.

"Hey Sora?" Shingo asked.

"Yeah?" Sora replied.

"If you don't mind me asking, how are Riku and Kairi doing. Riku I'm not too worried about, but Kairi is a different story."

Sora's mind then wavered. He'd forgotten about Riku and Kairi. Although he knew they had their own business to attend with Kairi's training, he still couldn't help the fact that being here with Shingo just wasn't the same without them. The four of them were very close. He could probably imagine how sad Riku must feel not being able to see him. Kairi even more regarding that Shingo was the first person who ever opened his heart up to her.

Shingo noticed Sora's unnerved feelings. Although he doesn't know about what's going on, he had hoped that he wasn't touching on something to particular.

"Sora?" Shingo asked.

Sora immediately broke off from his thoughts. Reassuring Shingo with a smile, he answered Shingo's question as honestly as he could without exposing his "secret".

"Oh, sorry about that. Well Riku and Kairi are sort of on a kind of trip at the moment. I don't know what they're doing in particular, but they seem to be fine to me the last time I checked."

"Oh, that's good to know! Just knowing they're doing well is good enough for me!"

However, they were soon interrupted by someone in the middle of their way.

"My, my. What are you doing here Shingo?"

This person was a man who was quite tall and had green eyes with a blue tint. He was wearing what seemed like some sort of tight black tank top that for some reason exposed his midsection while leaving the middle of the top open in triangular fashion. He wore a fancy pair of white paints complete with some black shoes and black gloves. His most distinguishing trait however, was his blonde hair which for some reason is standing up straight with no signs of hair products being used.

"Oh, hey what's up?" Shingo said with a smile.

The man replied back with a smile and said, "Oh nothing much. I was just going for a walk, considering the next King of Fighters isn't going to happen for a while. I'd train later. For now I'm just having some peace to myself."

The man then noticed Sora. He then turned to Shingo and asked, "Is he a friend of yours?"

Sora then decided to introduce himself to the stranger and said, "My names Sora. And yeah, me and Shingo are actually old friends."

"Really? I have to say I didn't expect this," The man said. He then decided to introduce himself to Sora and said, "Well, any friend of Shingo is a friend of mine. Please, let me introduce myself. My name is-"

However, Sora interrupted him and said, "You're Benimaru Nikaido right?"

"Well I guess my reputation precedes me." The man name Benimaru said remarked.

Shingo looked at Sora and asked, "Was he that easy to figure out?"

"Yeah, he's pretty much what the girls in the high schools at my islands say he is."

Benimaru was quite intrigued. With curiosity he asked Sora, "Really? Just what is it the beautiful ladies said about me? That my looks are divine? That I am the most fabulous human being to exist?"

"It was more like some of them saying that you look too much of a pompous model and that you had a weird Johnny Bravo haircut." Sora replied blatantly.

Shingo was laughing quite hard while Benimaru had multiple tick marks on his head in frustration. However, he tried to play it off with a smile. Tried being the word at least.

"Oh…I see." Benimaru said with a calm disposition of frustration in his face.

"Hey Benimaru, you look like you're flaring." Shingo said.

Sora looked at Benimaru closely. He could obviously tell Benimaru was upset by what Sora told him. What Sora didn't expect was that he was flaring with an essence that made his hair ecstatic. For Benimaru was purposely covered in electricity which spiked up for a small minute. Seeing this, Sora remembered another story about Benimaru and Team Esaka.

"Wow. So it's true that you have electro kinesis! You really are The Shooting Star. " Sora said ecstatically.

Benimaru paused for a bit and replied, "Oh that? Yeah, it's true. I can use electricity."

"Anyways, how's Kyo and Daimon doing?" Shingo asked.

"Oh, the same as always. Kyo is Kyo. Always settling his arguments with his fists without even consulting a psychiatrist first. Daimon right now is taking care of his family, so right now he's being a family man."

"Well that's good to know. Let Kyo-sama know that I said hi," Shingo said. He then looked at Sora and said, "We should probably get going now."

Sora nodded his head. He then bowed to Benimaru and said, "It was a real honor meeting you Benimaru."

"The pleasure was all mine." Benimaru said.

The two of them began to walk away. However, Benimaru decided to call them back suddenly.

"Just one more thing."

Sora and Shingo turned to see Benimaru again. He wondered what The Shooting Star wanted.

"You with the brown spikey hair. Sora right?"

"Yeah, that's me." Sora replied.

Benimaru then turned to Shingo and asked, "Just out of curiosity, are you two doing anything tomorrow?"

Shingo, with a puzzled look, answered, "Nothing really Benimaru. Why?"

He then turned to Sora and said to him, "Y'know, I'm going to have a training session with Kyo and Daimon tomorrow at the Kusanagi shrine. If you'd like, you two could join us."

"WOW! OF COURSE WE WOULD! RIGHT SORA!" Shingo said with excitement in his voice.

"Are you sure it's alright?" Sora asked.

"Oh don't worry about it. You're Shingo's friend so I think it would be okay. Besides, I would like to get to know you some more while I'm here. It's the first time that I've heard about Shingo having a friend outside of Japan." Benimaru replied with a smile.

Sora the smiled back and said, "Alright, count me in."

"Then it's decided. I'll meet you two at the Kusanagi shrine tomorrow. See you boys then." Benimaru said.

He then walked off to enjoy the rest of his day.

"Wow this awesome! Now I can get a chance to introduce you to Kyo and Daimon!" Shingo said excitingly.

"I'm actually pumped to meet them." Sora said sharing the same enthusiasm.

"Alright then, but first, let's get you settled in first." Shingo said.

And with that, the two of them walked off towards Shingo's house.

* * *

 _Hours later…_

Night time had just fallen. It took a while, but Sora and Shingo had finally reached Shingo's house. Shingo's parents were out, so the two of them had the place to themselves. Shingo helped Sora to unpack while insisting that the latter take rest as he set things up. Moments after that, Sora and Shingo decided to do some stuff together such as watching T.V. and playing video games. Afterwards, Shingo decided to prepare some dinner for which his mother left for the both of them to have in the refrigerator. As Sora and Shingo were eating in the kitchen, the two of them decided to catch up on old times. As of now, Sora had just finish talking about what Riku and Kairi were up to while leaving out important parts such as Xeanhort and the Heartless to ensure that Shingo does not get involved in his problems.

"Wow, so you guys are traveling? That sounds like an awesome thing to do during the summer." Shingo said.

"Well you know Riku. He was always anxious to go to other places." Sora said.

"That's true. It never ceased to amaze me about his tenacity to go to other places." Shingo replied.

Sora was looking out at the sky that night through the window. He was beginning to reminiscence about the times when he, Riku, and Shingo hung out together as kids. Flashbacks were soon starting to kick in as nostalgia began to pour in through Sora's mind. He soon thought about memories such as when the three of them would go out and play games right after school. Other times included when Shingo once tried to impress the girls in class with karate, only to fail miserably albeit Riku and Sora still remained by his side and merely laughed the entire thing off. However, there was one memory that started to come to mind.

"Hey Shingo." Sora said while continuing to look at the sky.

"Yeah?" Shingo asked.

"Do you…remember that time when we went to the island that one night. While all of the adults were holding a celebration festival?" Sora asked.

"Oh yeah! That was the time when you, me, and Riku decided to hang on the islands to go see the fireworks." Shingo replied.

Back when they were kids, the mayor of the island threw a celebratory festival. The purpose? It was the night that the stars shone at it's very brightest. There would be a time when the stars around Destiny Islands would shine with a radiant glow. A glow that was so bright, it was as if the planet was covered in a bright disco ball filled with stardust. In honor of such a glorious event, the islands would hold a festival whenever such a phenomenon would happen. One of the most unique traits of this was that there was no exact date on when this would happen. It would appear automatically at any time. It was for that reason that so many, especially the children, would pay attention to whenever the stars would react in such a way.

It was on that particular night one time that the "original" Destiny islands trio were on the island.

* * *

 _Back then…_

"C'mon guys! Let's get to the Papou tree. That tree's going to give us the best view for the fireworks show!"

There was a young boy. He was about the size of an average boy at an elementary school level. He wore blue shorts and had blue shoes with a white t-shirt. He had about short-shaggy hair, but his most distinguishing trait was his white headband on top of his head. This boy was none other than Shingo Yabuki, back in his younger days when he still lived in Destiny Islands.

With him were two other boys. The first one was a boy in similar size to Shingo. He had about mild, spiky brown hair. He wore a simple white shirt with red shorts and yellow sandals. The other boy was a little bit taller than the other two. He had short gray hair, wore what seemed like a yellow shirt with a zipper, and had black shorts and white-grey shoes. These two were none other than Sora and Riku, back when they were just little kids as well.

Sora, who was panting, replied to Shingo, "Hey c'mon Shingo! Just slow down for a little bit!"

Riku, who was merely scratching his face with an embarrassed smile, said, "Well, I don't think you can blame him. He always gets hyper whenever the stars are lit like this."

As the three made way to the shack the led up to the tree, Sora caught something peculiar in his eyes.

"Hey guys."

Shingo and Riku, who were just about to enter, were caught off guard by Sora's sudden words.

Shingo, with a confused expression, asked, "What's wrong buddy?"

Sora then pointed up towards the papou fruit tree and said, "Doesn't it look like there's a person up there?"

Shingo and Riku were confused as to what Sora meant. They went to the exact same spot where he was standing to see what he was looking at. They were looking hard to see if whether or not a someone was up there. Although in a few seconds, Riku understood what Sora had seen.

"Oh, I think I do see someone up there." Riku remarked.

For Shingo it took a little while, but he finally managed to see as well.

From the distance, it looked like there was a small girl sitting up from on top of the papou tree. It looked like she was waiting to see the fireworks from the tree as the three had planned from the beginning.

"Oh wow, I didn't think anyone else came to this island other than the three of us," Shingo remarked. He then turned to Sora and Riku and asked, "What do you think she was doing here?"

"I think she might have wanted to come see the fireworks from here like the three of us." Riku seemingly deduced.

"Well let's go say hi to her!" Shingo exclaimed.

Sora and Riku merely had their jaws dropping at Shingo's suggestion. Sora was just albeit a little nervous while Riku had no idea on how to respond. However, with Shingo and his usual attitude he just seemed to go with the flow and went to go see the girl. Sora and Riku merely gasped at his antics.

"Hey wait a minute Shingo!" Riku exclaimed as both he and Sora went after him.

* * *

 _By the papou tree…_

The same girl who was sitting on top of the tree was about a little bit smaller than Sora himself. She had small auburn hair and blue eyes. She wore a what looked like a white-apron shirt adorned with blue flowers. Along with it was a pink shirt and a pair of white shoes with pink and purple linings

As the girl was anxiously awaiting for the fireworks display to happen, she was startled by a sudden noise.

The doorway that led to the shack was suddenly burst open. From the shack was a boy who eagerly opened the door only for himself to fall flat on his face. He was followed by two more boys who appeared to be his friends.

"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow! Ow!" said the boy with the white headband on his head.

The other boy who had gray hair merely sighed at his friend's antics and said, "Shingo, you really need to stop it with the Snickers and take a break with Kit-Kats at least."

"Yeah, no kidding! You're as hyper as hamster with food." Said the other boy who had brown hair.

The girl was startled by the boy's appearance. She frantically tried to climb higher on the tree to avoid them.

"Geez Shingo, you just scared her." The boy with the brown hair said to his friend.

"Hey c'mon Sora! I didn't mean to!" Shingo said in a panic.

As for the boy with the gray hair, he looked out to see the girl with a closer look. He calmly then walked up to her. The girl looked away with a scared look, but he assured her that they weren't bad people.

"Sorry if my friend scared you. We notice you were up here and we just wanted to make sure someone was up here." The boy with gray hair said.

The girl then slowly started to turn her head. She no longer possessed the frightened look upon her head. However, she still stayed on the top of the tree, ever remaining suspicious.

The other boy with the brown hair then said, "Yeah, sorry about that."

Shingo then immediately stood up. He then rose and bowed his head in an apologetic matter.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I didn't mean to scare you."

The girl then decided to come down. She seemed to have settled down, so now there was nothing worry about. The boy with the gray hair then got a chance to look at her closely. She was a little startled by how he was looking at her. However, after a quick observation, he then had an idea as to who this girl was.

"Hey, I think I've seen you before," the boy with gray hair said as the girl looked surprised. He then asked, "Aren't the new girl who's living with the mayor?"

In response the girl nodded her head in confirmation.

"Oh wow! I can't believe I didn't notice that!" Shingo said with a surprised tone.

He then eagerly walked up to her while offering her his hand. He then started to introduce himself.

"I'm Shingo Yabuki," said Shingo as he introduced himself. He then pointed towards his friends and introduced them as well, "The guy with the gray hair is Riku, and the one with brown hair is Sora."

"Nice to meet ya!" Sora said.

"Same here." Riku said.

The girl was quite surprised as she didn't know how to respond. What she did do was at least return Shingo's gesture with a friendly hand shake.

Finding the courage to speak up, she began to introduce herself as well.

"My name is Kairi." The girl said.

"Nice name!" Shingo said with enthusiasm, while Sora and Riku nodded their heads.

Riku then decided to ask her, "I know we just met and all, but what are you doing out here?"

"Yeah, I thought you'd be on the mainland with the other kids." Sora said.

"Well…I heard that there was a nice view on this island. And I also wanted to come see the fireworks here." Kairi replied.

"Wow! So did we!" Shingo exclaimed.

"But hold on a minute. How come you're by yourself? Don't you have any friends?" Sora asked.

Kairi immediately shook her head. She then answered, "I don't have any friends. Just like you guys said, I'm new here, but…"

"But?" Riku asked.

"Well, the truth is that I had no idea who I am or where I even came from. When the mayor found and took me in, the only thing I had was my name and that was it. As for the other kids, they really didn't know what to make of me. I'm sure some them are just being careful, but no one has ever really talked to me. Not even a few of the adults had either. In other words, besides the mayor, I'm pretty lonely."

She continued on, "As for why I'm here, the mayor told me about the festival and the island, so I wanted to come here and look at the fireworks from here. He gave me permission to come here, it was alright. I didn't invite any of the other kids because…well…y'know."

She didn't notice it herself, but Kairi was starting to tear up. It seemed like some of the kids on the islands kept themselves distant from her. It was from that very distance that gave her sadness. However, the trio noticed her tears, and in turn noticed her sadness.

Riku and Sora were quite surprised. They had no idea the kids were keeping themselves that distant from her. While the two wanted to comfort her, they didn't know how to respond. This was the first time they ever witness something as such. While they were struggling to answer with words, one of them decided to answer with his actions.

Shingo then came near Kairi and suggested to her, "Why don't watch the fireworks with us? That way, you don't have to be lonely anymore."

Kairi then held a surprised look on her face. She did not expect Shingo to say such a thing. Neither did she expect him to come up to her with a heart welcoming smile.

"Really?" Kairi asked.

"Of course! The other kids may be skeptical, but I don't see any good reason for them distance themselves from you. Stick with us and we can hang out every day even."

Kairi's eyes then began to light up, as if a fire was starting to burn.

"Really?"

"Really! Right guys?" Shingo asked as he turned to Sora and Riku

The two of them looked at each other for a few seconds. However, they then smiled and nodded at Shingo at his suggestion.

"Great! Then come on! Lucky for me I saved a couple of food from the festival. It's all on the boat we came in. So in the meantime, wait here for me," Shingo said ecstatically. He then turned to Riku and Sora and told them, "Wait here with her okay?"

After that, he ran off to get the supplies. Riku and Sora could only look out with a smile as they began to talk with one another about Shingo's actions.

"There he goes again. Not only does he get hyper, but he's always eager to make more friends." Riku said.

"Yeah, but that's what's so cool about Shingo. He always reaches out to others. And he always makes sure that they never feel too lonely." Sora said.

"Yeah. No doubt about it." Riku said.

The two of them then turned and walked towards Kairi. As the two of them were making sure she was alright.

* * *

 _Minutes later…_

Shingo managed to bring some of the food that the three of them brought over to eat while watching the fireworks. As the four of them were watching, the firework show soon began. In the sky, while the burst of light began to shine, the stars themselves seemed to enhance the lighting of the fireworks themselves. It was like seeing a natural lightshow with any need of electricity or any other commodity available. It was as if the stars were breathing life itself into the fireworks.

Kairi was in awe. She was dazzled by the fireworks and by how bright the stars were shining. She may have lost her memories, but this was a spectacle she was sure to remember. As for the boys who were watching, they were quite happy seeing the look on Kairi's face. The three of them found it so odd the some of the kids on the islands would distance themselves from her.

Shingo then wrapped his arms around Kairi and said to her, "Y'know, seeing fireworks and the stars is cool and all. But what really makes it special is seeing it with you friends y'know."

Kairi, who was taken aback, asked, "We're friends?"

"Of course we are! You, me, Riku and Sora! Right guys?"

Riku then turned to Kairi and said, "That's right, from now on, your friends with the three of us now."

"Yeah, and that means you don't have to be lonely anymore. So whenever you get down, you can always count on us to be there for you." Sora said.

Kairi soon began to tear up. She didn't know what else to say. She was completely touched by their kindness. She was the new girl and town, and yet she finally found some friends who were not fazed by her in any way at all. This was the greatest piece of happiness she ever found.

"Th-thank you." Kairi said softly.

Shingo then merely hugged her in reassurance that she would never be lonely. Riku smiled at the spectacle. He was very happy the he got the chance to meet Kairi and being able to befriend her. Sora gave a wide grin. He too was happy to have met Kairi, and would swear that she would be happy so long as they were all friends.

During the night, the sky continued to shower with fireworks, while the four friends would continue to spend the night having fun with one another.

* * *

 _In the present…_

Shingo and Sora were looking out in the night time sky while reminiscing about the time with Kairi. Sora at the time never got a chance to say this, but he was always grateful that Shingo and him meet Kairi. If he hadn't, he couldn't imagine what his life would have been without her and Riku. If there was something Sora new about Shingo, it was that whenever you needed a friend, he'd be there for you.

Shingo then looked at Sora and asked, "Hey, you mind if I ask how Kairi's been?"

Sora, with a surprised look, asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean, Kairi's a big girl right. I take it she has a lot of friends now?"

"Hahaha. Even after all this time, you're still worried about her. But yeah, over the time when you were gone, she's managed to hang in there by herself. It would be great if you could see how she was doing. She misses you so much."

"Yeah, I can tell."

Shingo then stood up and said to Sora, "Well, it's time to hit the sack. I'll get the futon ready for you alright?"

Shingo then immediately left, while Sora continued to look at the sky.

" _Even after all this time, he's still the same Shingo I knew as a kid. I really wish you two could be here to see him. Here I am going on a journey to fight the darkness and Shingo's literally a martial artist. Still, I'm so glad he's been doing well."_

* * *

 _The next day…_

"Alright, here we are Sora!" Shingo exclaimed.

"Wow, you weren't kidding when you said it was big." Sora said.

The next morning, the two of them decided to take on Benimaru's offer and came to the Kusanagi shrine. Sora was quite surprised. It was a really big shrine, but it's grounds looked big enough to be used as a training stage of sorts. The walk on the stairs were big, but the two of them merely shrugged it off while in front of the large looking entrance. Shingo was very excited to see Kyo while Sora was off in awe.

"Oh boy! I can't wait for you to meet both Kyo and Daimon!" Shingo said ecstatically.

"Me too buddy." Sora replied with excitement in his heart.

* * *

 **At last Sora arrives at the Kusanagi Shrine. Just what kind of adventure begins to fall upon him? You'll have to find out next chapter. Burn to fight!**

 **Next chapter: A Newly Heated Friendship! Sora Meets Team Esaka.**

 **Thank You and Good Bye!**


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